Hi Karen!

Thank you for posting this video.

It appears that there is a problem, as Miri referred to earlier, with responding to your post.

From the little information contained in the news report it would appear imo that the leader of this 'New Age' group is entirely culpable for the deaths of his followers.

His 'crime' is that he used coercion to dissuade his followers from leaving a situation which some correctly percieved as being dangerous to their health.  Though not so clear cut as physically preventing people from leaving it is nonetheless an equally powerful method of restraint.

Rawat is guilty of employing the very same methods to obtain an 'inner' restraint in premies. The devotee is constantly made to feel unworthy, weak and ungrateful and therefore is compelled to act according to instruction rather than in response to their instinctual fear of danger.

The woman who survived displayed her clear discomfort when questioned as to whether people were forced to remain, and yet she rationalised that the couple who died were also healthy, intelligent people, who would not have put themselves in danger willingly for the pursuit of a spiritual experience.

Imo - this illustrates perfectly the difference between a 'good' and a 'bad' teacher.  The 'good' teacher will always be aware of the varying strengths of his/her students; spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally, we all differ, and the inability of an individual to 'live up' to the teacher's expectations should never be regarded as a measure of someone's dedication or willingness to progress generally.

Another aspect of this sad event is the reason that I am so nervous of anything which people term 'New Age'.

Sweat Lodge rituals and Initiation rituals in general are often employed by 'New Ager's' in a way that can be dangerous to both mental and physcal health, as they are used so often out of context.  In their original context; i.e. their cultural context, the initiates are primed with a long period of preparation for the ritual.  Any teacher must, therefore, be fully educated and trained in the culture and the background to the rituals.

An unfortunate aspect of 'New Age' thought is the idea that one can experiment freely with anything as though it were just another populist 'fad', like some new diet or decorating trend.

Imo - the teacher here is guilty of all these things and should be held responsible for the unfortunate deaths of these individuals.  The surviving members of his 'cult' really should take this as a warning that he has no right to be teaching others at all as he appears to be a very ignorant and uncaring idiot like Rawat.

The world, unfortunately, appears to be full of such fools, who feel the need to capitalise upon the human need for guidance.

A true teacher should never need to resort to coercion, however subtle, but then - what would I know?  I was just one of the 'millions' of worthless, unworthy, mind-ridden, premies who failed to light my 'precious' match!!

Take Care Karen - kindest - john